Happy Birthday Travis!

Travis is 29! He's hanging on to his last year of his 20s. It will be so nice to celebrate with him tonight as a family and then him and I are going out Saturday night to celebrate. We are looking forward to having some time to ourselves.

Travis, I hope this birthday is as special as you are to your family. We love you so much and are so grateful for everything you do for us each and every day. I wish you happiness and joy on your special day and I can't wait to share many more birthdays with you. We love you!

I'm Back!

I know it has been forever since I last posted. Life has been so busy and I can never seem to take time to sit and blog real quick. Hopefully, I will get better about it. So much has happened since I last posted about Will turning 2! Here it goes...

* I started my new job with St. Charles Parish Public Schools and have enjoyed it so much! It is definitely different than Texas and a lot more paperwork but the people that I work with are wonderful. I love that it is a smaller school district and everyone knows you some way or the other. It's very small town.

* On August 29th, Hurricane Issac hit LaPlace. It was not expected to cause the damage that it did. Lots of family and friends lost everything in their home. Most of my parents neighbors lost everything. It was all so sad watching people close to you go through something so horrible. My aunt and uncle, who also watches the boys, lost everything! My mom, dad, Travis, and myself have all been taking time until my aunt starts watching the boys along with their cousins again at our house in October until their house is finished. LaPlace will come back...it always does!

* As of yesterday, Travis resigned from his job. His last day is Friday which means NO MORE TRAVELING!!!  My dad got him on as a contractor through Shell so he can enroll in school next August. After 6 years of us being together, this will be the first time that we are ever together every single night. It is a whole new realm for us but we are so excited to be together as a family every single day.It was a tough decision for him because he loved working for Cyprexx and the people. However, he has missed most of Will's last two years and he didn't want to do the same with JT. He wanted to be home with his kids and be more present which I can completely understand and plus it does take a toll on a marriage when your spouse is gone 5 days out of the week and only home on the weekends.

* JT turned 6 months on September 8th! I can't believe that he is at the half way mark of turning 1! This first year is going so fast. He is happy ALL the time..day or night and even after waking up from sleep. He has started to crawl so he is EVERYWHERE but it is fun!

So, all in all that has been our life lately. We are busy with two boys and jobs but I wouldn't trade a single day of it. This is what it's all about and I try to soak in every minute with my children.

Happy 2nd Birthday Will!

Today, our sweet boy turned 2! I can't believe it. It feels like yesterday when they placed him in my arms for the first time. It was love at first sight. He is the light of our life and we are so thankful that God chose us to be his parents. His warm smile lights up a room and his bubbly (and active) personality brings a smile to our faces. There are so many things that I love about him that it would be impossible to name them all but here's a few that make him the little boy that he is:

- The way he giggles and runs to Travis when he sees him come through the door from his work trips

- The way he still likes to snuggle with me at night and in the mornings 

- His sweet kisses and big hugs

- The way he says truck (he has a little Texas twang to it)

- His sweet ways towards his little brother

- His love for trucks, tractors, cars, planes, and trains

- The words and phrases that he comes up with

- His smile

- His personality (he never meets a stranger)

- His laugh 

- His gentle heart and kind spirit

- The way he gets excited when Travis and I give him a "family hug"

We Love You Buddy!

Love,

Mommy, Daddy, and J.T.

4 years

4 years ago tomorrow I married my best friend. It feels like yesterday that we were preparing for this day and anxiously waiting to become husband and wife. I remember waiting at the back of the church holding onto my dad as he walked me down the aisle to begin the next chapter of my life. Through these four years Travis and I have shared tears of sadness through heartache and tears of joy when we welcomed our two greatest blessings into the world. Through it all we have grown stronger and closer as a couple. I can't wait to see what the rest of our life has to offer and I'm so glad that I found someone as wonderful as Travis to share my life with and to grow old with side by side.

Birthday Celebrations

This past weekend, the family got to celebrate my Mimi and Granddaddy's birthdays as well as Will's. It was great being with everyone even though we were missing a few people. This has been one of the perks about being home...I am able to make the family functions and I LOVE it!

 Not too sure what to think

 Camera shy

 My little boy is 2!!

 Will and his great-grandparents celebrating their birthdays

Father and Son

Brotherly Love

I simply love these moments between Will and JT. It melts my heart seeing them two interact. JT has started to follow Will's movements and his voice and tries to be in on the action when he can. Will is gentle and always wanting to take care of his brother. I have been blessed with two wonderful and sweet little boys and I couldn't ask for anything better. Life may be busy with two but I wouldn't have it any other way.

First Taste of Baby Food

We finally started JT on baby food. He was always hungry and getting tired of bottles. He even started sleeping longer when he got on food although he has always been a good sleeper. We started with applesauce and I don't think he was quite sure of the texture and using a spoon. We do a little each day and he's getting the hang of it! Hopefully, he's a good eater like his brother!

Baking with the Cousins

Will and JT had a chance to spend some time with their cousins for the day last week. Jared and Olivia were driving back to North Carolina and decided to stop in Louisiana for a visit and to meet JT. It was great for the cousins to see each other and play together. The play room came in handy. They played and played and played until it was time for them to get back on the road for more traveling. While Jared and Olivia got some rest before driving more that night, I figured I would let the kids make 4th of July cupcakes. Unfortunately, not everything was unpacked with the move including my cupcake pans so we made it into a sheet cake and I cut up small sizes of cake to let them icing. You can tell by these pictures they enjoyed tasting the batter. We definitely have a few "sweet tooths" in the family! :)

Couples Swept Away-Jamaica 2012

Travis and I just returned from our trip to Jamaica with his sister, her husband, his brother and his wife. We had a blast. It was the first trip that we all took together and we are ready to do it again. It was hard being away from the kids but Travis and I definitely needed some time together. We are so grateful that my parents offered to watch the kids for us while we went on the trip.

We laughed, drank, and ate until our heart's were content. In the midst of it all we made memories that will last a lifetime. At the end of the week, we watched Travis' sister and her husband renew their vows on the beach. We were so glad to be a part of their special day with them. 

 Relaxing on the hammock on our patio

Beach time 

 The girls and their "special drinks"

 The boys and their goggles

 Morning walk on the beach

 Scuba diving

 Vow renewal

 Love him!

 Sunset catamaran cruise

 The gang

 Last day :(

We'll be back again...

Happy Father's Day

I've been horrible about keeping up my blog since we have been so busy moving into our house. Hopefully, now that things are starting to settle down I will have more time to post. 

This past Father's Day, we spent the day moving into our new house. We wanted to get settled before we left for our trip to Jamaica and that was the only day that we could get it done since Travis was traveling for work during the week. However, it didn't stop me from thinking about Travis and what a wonderful dad he has been to our two children. I made him another book this year with him and the kids because he loves taking them on the roads and looking through them at night while he is away. He is an amazing dad and I love watching him interact with Will and J.T. He's so proud of his boys and it truly shows when he's around them. I'm proud of him in so many ways and most of all for the father he is to our children. We love you Travis!

Ft. Walton 2012

Last week, we traveled to Ft. Walton, Florida for our annual family beach trip. We had a great week together. Unfortunately, Travis wasn't able to stay with us for the week since he had to get back to work but I was grateful that he drove with us on Saturday to spend some time with me and the kids before heading back on Sunday. We sure did miss him. Will loved the beach and loved watching the waves as long as you were holding him. JT did fairly well given he was only 3 months old. We would go out in the mornings or afternoons with him when it wasn't as hot outside. I'm anxiously awaiting next year when we have two mobile boys at the beach! More memories to be made...

Moving Day

On Friday, June 1st we made the big move from Texas to Louisiana. My parents flew in the Thursday before to help us finish packing and loading. We are so grateful for their help. It is definitely hard trying to pack an entire house when you have two young kids. We got the truck completely packed before heading out on Friday morning. It was a bittersweet time. Luckily, we were busy tying up loose ends that I didn't have a lot of time to think about everything. As we put the last bag in the truck, and closed the door to our house, it hit me. We were really moving! We loved our house and I loved my job but we had to make a move that was going to benefit us all in the long run. As we pulled out of our driveway one final time, tears streamed down my face. I loved that house and the memories we made. I loved that we brought our children home to that house. It was a house that was filled with a lot of memories within a few short years. We look forward to our new chapter and what life has to offer.